


Moments on the Wheel

by 007Awesome



Category: Mystery Skulls Animated
Genre: Angst, Eventual Fluff, Hints of OT3, His kids need to quit DYING, Mystery needs a nap, Quite a few deaths, Reincarnation, Supernatural Elements, if it becomes blatant I’ll change the tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-05
Updated: 2019-09-05
Packaged: 2020-10-10 08:43:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20525180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/007Awesome/pseuds/007Awesome
Summary: Two things held true.-They all found each other, one way or another.-One of them always died before their time.And Mystery was there to watch and remember it all.------Alternatively: kind of a five and one fic from Mystery's pov throughout the various lives of his charges.





	Moments on the Wheel

With all the multitudes of changes throughout their lives, two or three things remained constant.

1- They all found each other, one way or another.

2- One of them always died before their time.

Mystery knew this. He knew it and anticipated it and it was just as painful every time. Unlike the three of them, his role was constant. Never changing, always watching. He desperately wants it to be _protecting_ instead but he's tried so many times before. No matter how closely he watched the three of them, no matter how quickly he ran or how savagely his teeth tore through those who would do harm, it never mattered.

One always passed far too early, leaving the others behind. 

The first was a warrior. Mystery remembers the blade she wielded that was as sharp as her wit. The scars from both stayed with him for decades.

He would still see bits and pieces of her later. In different girls, in different times. Not enough to ever pin it down but a look of concentration or an impulsive decision caught his attention. They were fleeting but stung all the same.

The ancestor wasn't one to settle. She had family and ties back to her home but most of her life was on the road now. It was... a rocky start. Both had their wounds and with the new situation neither was overly friendly. It was a companionship of convenience for one and obligation for the other.

Mystery hadn't even spoken to the woman in months at that point. Even if he was perfectly fine to leave it at that, this forced arraignment was going to drive him mad. 

He needn't have worried, as it turned out. Years after he first met the ancestor, eventually there came a merchant. 

The merchant had been to far off lands, weary of travel and looking to settle. Some would call it naivety and others a good nature, but the merchant travelled with little to no protection. Regardless, he and his cart were beset by thieves mere miles from his destination. Luckily for him, the ancestor and a white fox happened to be heading the same way. 

Grateful for her assistance (and only somewhat embarrassed) he insisted on repaying her. Mystery could still remember the disappointment on his face when she said he had nothing she wanted. Undaunted, the man offered a ride in his cart, as he had another idea. 

Some distance away, there lived a blacksmith.

Though the thought of him having something to rival her sword was laughable, the ancestor agreed. Mostly to just assuage the man and for the free ride. 

This blacksmith, however, didn't make many blades. As soon as they stepped into his shop, the two were beset by the smell of fire and smoke. A tiny metal creature leapt around in circles before the blacksmith, who smiled with pride at his creation. Smoke bellowed from it's belly and the fire within powered the metal joints inside. The automaton nimbly made a circuit about the room, as nimble as a rabbit.

The merchant greeted the other man like they were old friends while the ancestor was intrigued despite herself. It took some convincing that Mystery wasn’t going to do anything but eventually things settled down. One day spent there turned into an evening and a fast friendship not long after.

Mystery remembered little of the minor details. Not because of the time that passed but because he wasn't paying much attention. He was bitter back then.

Still, he found little joy in watching the ancestor meet her inevitable demise. 

It wasn't uncommon at the time, especially in a station like hers, to die young. Or violently. It had been a simple misstep, a tiny oversight and suddenly she had a mortal wound from a creature she could've bested easily if given a second chance. 

Mystery had swiftly disposed of the creature afterwards. He had been too slow to do much else and he respected the woman too much to just let the thing go. The ancestor was formidable and briefly, he wished she could've had a better death than this. Lying in a heap before him with blood stained teeth, she asked (practically demanded) that he tell the others what became of her.

Back then Mystery huffed, insulted at the idea of being a mere messenger. But it was his duty, so he'd see it through. 

They didn't take it well.

The two men knew of the arraignment he had with her. The merchant hadn’t been bothered, even going as far as to try and talk to him from time to time. The blacksmith, however, never fully got used to his presence or fully gave the kitsune his trust. 

Any hope of that changing died with the ancestor.

Mystery doesn't know what became of the two of them after the ancestor's death. He hadn't stuck around to find out either. The blacksmith had blamed him for her death, even going so far as to threaten him in his anger or grief. The merchant remained still, stonily silent as he watched Mystery take off into the forest.

Her family were even more distrustful. They didn't seem as shocked but fully intended to use her reputation to give themselves a foothold in the community for just a little longer. Mystery actually found himself offended on the woman's behalf when her father was more concerned over her missing sword rather than her corpse.

Despite his snarls and threats, they all knew he couldn't raise a paw against them. On the contrary, despite the ancestor's passing, he was forced to do the opposite. If rumors of a demon watching over their household happened to get out, all the better for them. Mystery was doomed to remain a watchful guardian over these little people. 

They knew better than to try and treat him like a common dog but only just. Every one of them lacked the spark that the ancestor had and Mystery grew bitter once more.

It would take him centuries more to admit he was just a little lonely then too.

**Author's Note:**

> This and some other other ideas have been bouncing around for a while so I might post them from time to time in between my other fic!
> 
> Also, I know the ancestor has a name but going into this I figured giving them all new, historically accurate names for each time period might get a little confusing. (I also have enough tabs open already let me live pls). I figured too with this being from Mystery’s pov and using the titles like ‘the ancestor’ might give it a more fairy tale story kind of vibe? Please let me know if it gets confusing to tell who’s who, I’ve been trying to edit this down for a while!
> 
> Anyways, thanks for reading!


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